Conventional devices such as microprocessors and graphics processors that are used in high-performance digital systems may have varying current demands based on the processing workload. For example, current demands may increase dramatically when a block of logic is restarted after a stall or when a new request initiates a large computation such as the generation of a new image. Conversely, current demands may decrease dramatically when a block of logic becomes idle. When the current demand increases and sufficient power is not available, the supply voltage that is provided to the device may drop below a critical voltage level, potentially causing the device to fail to function properly. When the current demand decreases and the supply voltage that is provided to the device rises above a critical voltage level, circuits within the device may fail to function properly and may even be destroyed.
A conventional switching regulator is an electric power conversion device that interfaces between a power supply and a device, providing current to the device and responding to changes in current demands to maintain a supply voltage level.
Conventional voltage regulators used for central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) convert 12 Volts to approximately 1 Volt using an interleaved multi-phase “buck” converter. The switches for each phase of the buck converter are typically controlled with a fixed-frequency pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal and the buck converter is operated in continuous-conduction mode (CCM). That is, the current that is generated in an inductor is continuous and unidirectional. While a conventional buck converter is simple to operate and requires only a few components (i.e., two switches, a filter capacitor, and an inductor), significant switching losses are incurred each time a switch coupled between the power supply and the inductor is turned on to pull the upstream side of the inductor from approximately 0V to approximately 12V.
Thus, there is a need for improving regulation of voltage levels and/or other issues associated with the prior art.